Bodies of 400 Children Discovered in Hidden Mass Grave at Catholic Orphanage

The chilling results of a years-long investigation into abuse at a Catholic orphanage led to the discovery of a mass grave containing 400 children.

The results of a horrifying investigation into a Catholic orphanage are being released this week. The report revealed the discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of over 400 orphans—including babies, toddlers, and children.

The investigation, conducted by the Sunday Post and the BBC, looked into the dark secret of the Catholic run Smyllum Park orphanage. While the orphanage—which operated for a century and a half—put headstones on the graves of nuns and staff members, no stone or memorial has ever recorded the deaths of these 402 orphans found buried in a single mass grave.

According to the Sunday Post, the revelation that up to 400 youngsters – and some adults – are buried there today provoked calls for Scotland’s ongoing Child Abuse Inquiry to investigate.

As the BBC reports, the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, which ran the home, refused to comment on the findings.

Former First Minister, Jack McConnell, who, on behalf of the Scottish Government, apologized to victims of care home abuse in 2004, said it was shameful they were still waiting for truth and justice, reports the Post. He said, “It is heartbreaking to discover so many children may have been buried in these unmarked graves. After so many years of silence, we must now know the truth of what happened here.”